Everton Talking to Galaxy, MLS About Donovan Loan Extension

Landon Donovan will stay with Everton for the rest of the season, if Toffees' manager David Moyes has his way. (Photo: ZumaPress)

Reports in England confirm that Everton is talking to Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy about extending Landon Donovan’s loan.

The original loan deal sending Donovan to Liverpool was for ten weeks, putting the league’s Most Valuable Player back in Los Angeles before the club kicks off their season on March 27 at Home Depot Center against New England.

However, Everton manager David Moyes confirms he has contacted the Galaxy about extending the deal. While he was initially skeptical about the possibility of an extension, Moyes is now hopeful Landon Donovan will stay in Liverpool through the remainder of the Premier League season.

“I have not got that confirmed yet,” Moyes continued. “I can’t say exactly if that is going to happen. If we can make it happen we will.”

Since moving to Everton in January, Donovan has made eight league appearances, starting seven times, registering one goal, earning praise from Moyes.

“In the main he has done a really good job for us,” Moyes said.

“It is very rare you can bring in someone in January on loan who can make a real difference to you but Landon has.

“He came in when the team was on the up, so that has suited him, but we cannot deny he has done well.

“Landon had to be thrown straight in so we had to find out very quickly if he could do a job or not.

Even though Moyes will pursue an extended loan, he feels Los Angeles will try to get their best player back as soon as possible.

“I think his manager at LA Galaxy would say the best World Cup preparation for him would be to start in their team. They will be keen to get him back so we will have to be respectful of their wishes.

“If we can keep him it would be nice but if not I totally understand it.”

In December, Donovan signed a new contract with MLS that commits the U.S. international to the league for the next four years. The deal allows Donovan to seek offseason loans of the kind that finds him in Liverpool.

With Donovan, Everton has won five times, drawn once, and lost twice, helping the Toffees climb to tenth in the Premier League.

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14 Comments

MarkMarch 5, 2010

What a hypocritical sell out. We need him here in our league for kick off. What can Everton win this year? Oh, ah they can finish 10th in the Premiership!

He just got done playing in MLS Cup. That is bigger than any game he is going to play in Britain. But perhaps he feels he must appease the Euro snobs and self hating Americans that populate this and other websites and now serve as PR directors for self hating American soccer leagues.

Sorry Landon, but you are a weasel just like the rest of them if you stay there.

What are you going on about? Almost every American at every level of professional football would jump at the chance to play in the Premiership if given the opportunity. It doesn’t make them or any of us Eurosnobs or self hating. Are Germans self hating because they wish Dirk Nowitski well in the NBA? Are the French with Tony Parker? Athletes aspire to play with and against the best in the world. Donovan is finally in a place mentally where he wants it and Everton has given him a full opportunity. I watch the MLS and hope that it continues to grow but I also want Donovan in a Toffee shirt for the next 3 or 4 years.

This is the reality – the level of play in the EPL is higher than the MLS. The MLS has gotten much better since its inception, but that’s simply reality.

So, we have to balance our desire to see the MLS grow with our desire to see the U.S. National Team perform at its best. It’s clearly better for our National Team players to play regularly at the highest level of competition possible. This is what made our team able to face down Spain in the Confed Cup. We had a lot of players that were used to playing with and against the quality you see in the Spanish side day in and day out. They simply cannot get that experience in the MLS.

This isn’t being snobby or hating on the MLS. As an MLS season ticket holder, I hope that one day the MLS is on the same level as La Liga and the EPL. But, right now, it is clearly not.

We will likely continue to lose our best players to Europe for a while and that’s ok, because the play in the MLS continues to develop regardless of whether Donovan stays or goes. Eventually, we will lose fewer and fewer of our best players to Europe and see the best Americans playing for truly dominant European clubs.

Do people complain about this in France or the Netherlands? (curious as I have no clue)

Do you think a good baseball player would rather play for the AA league champions or 20th best team in the Majors? I wish he’d stay, I like seeing him when they come to Colorado, but athletes should want to compete at the highest level they can. I hope the MLS can take the money and sign some Americans or CONCACAF players who would otherwise go to the Norwegian league. The goal of MLS with regards to North American stars should be to have them at the beginning and end of their careers.

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